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Somehow, with everything, some hand-quilting got done.

I'm finally to one corner, so it's a little more interesting work. 

I found my sourdough starter had grown a bit, so after I made bread for sandwiches, I made this crusty loaf, still with 1/2C of rye flour. 

The starter is active enough now that I can make bread without any additional yeast.

I worked on the Steampunk Blouse for Daphne's dolls.

We had Charlie's brother over for Thanksgiving dinner. He lives alone, so we didn't want him to have to have Thanksgiving alone. We figured if we wore masks until we had to take them off to eat and sat at opposite ends of the table, it would work out OK. We are all careful when we go out, which we only do when it's necessary, but it still isn't risk-free.

I gave him his own serving utensils. I kept the plates turned over until we were ready to eat, and the eating utensils were rolled up in our napkins. I kept my mask on when I cooked, when I set the table and when I served the food. The table with three leaves is 7' long. The two chairs in the foreground were ours, and my BIL sat at the window. The other chair (the one in front of the bookcases) wasn't used.

Even the living room was set up for social distancing.

Normally, our younger son and his family come to us for Thanksgiving, but they didn't come this year. They live more than three hours' drive away in good weather. Last year it took them 12 hours to get here. They would have had to sleep here, and with the two little boys we all thought it was better not to have Thanksgiving together this year. The state guidance says no more than six people from no more than two households, so we were in compliance. 

We managed to Zoom with the rest of the family, though.

Our daughter's family and our older son had already had their dinner, but it was almost like sharing a meal together. They live in Wisconsin and Indiana, so they couldn't have come for dinner anyway.

The technology has been very helpful in getting through this difficult time. Our choir managed to sing on Sunday for the annual "Lessons and Carols" service that marks the first Sunday in Advent. Not everyone in the choir participates in these virtual performances, due to the complications of having to record yourself while you listen to a recording. There were some lovely images displayed while we were singing, but they included us for a short bit .

We're eating leftovers, but we had used up the salad by the day after Thanksgiving, so I made a batch of my corn salad, which keeps for several days in the fridge.

I didn't have any cucumber or spinach to add, but we had extra tomatoes and avocados, and I tossed in from fresh basil leaves, because our Aerogarden is still producing, so I used what I had. It's OK without the Feta cheese topping, too. Here's the regular recipe.

Easy Corn Salad

Dressing:
• 3 T olive oil
• 3 T lemon juice
• 1/2 t Salt
• 1/2 t dried cilantro
• 1/2 t dried basil
• 2 T salsa
• 1 T pickled garlic

Salad:
• 1 16-Oz pkg. frozen corn
• 2 chopped tomatoes
• 4 green onions
• 1/2 chopped red onion
• 1 C chopped cucumber 
• 1 handful fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 chopped avocado
• 1 bell pepper (any color, optional)

Optional Topping:
• Crumbled feta cheese

Mix dressing ingredients. Add remaining ingredients and toss. Top with feta cheese. It keeps pretty well in the fridge for several days. It's great in the summer when it's hot out.

My book comes out tomorrow. I'm going to come back and correct the link to Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook when it comes out in the publisher's store. Tomorrow is also "Giving Tuesday." If you are interested in giving to St. Jude through my fundraising page, here is the link. Purchases of my book will provide a small donation to St. Jude as well.

What's on my needles: Still the Steampunk Blouse for Daphne's dolls.

What's on my sewing machine: Awaiting its next assignment.

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. A little more progress this week.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Pen Pals. Pippa finds Emil writing a letter to a friend. He reads it to her, and their discussion leads to an interesting revelation.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Elsewhere by Dean Koontz. Just getting into it.

What's in my wine glass: Domaine Paretlongue, Cité de Carcassonne Syrah-Cabernet Franc. Pretty good.

What's my tip of the week: Operating two different devices with Zoom in the same building doesn't always work out well. It helps if you can turn off the microphone on one.

Mariah: Stories from the Doll's Storybook is available from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

<a href="https://store.bookbaby.com/bookshop/book/index.aspx?bookURL=Mariah1&amp;b=p_fr-ho-bl" target="BookShop" style="display:inline-block; text-align: center; background: url('https://www.bookbaby.com/bnb/p/fr-ho-bl.png') no-repeat; background-size: 235px; width:235px; height:184px;" title="Mariah by Peggy Stuart" data-class="wide"><img src="https://store.bookbaby.com/BookShop/CommonControls/BookShopThemes/bookshop/OnePageBookCoverImage.jpg?BookID=BK90045873" alt="Book Cover Image" width="110" height="160" style="position: relative; top:15px; left: -40px;"></a>

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

Smoked

I really want to finish my whole-cloth quilt this year.

It's hard to tell that I've made any progress on it, but it really is happening. I've also made a couple of dish cloths from the yarn left over from my dish mat, finished a couple of weeks ago and have almost finished a third. I think I can get a total of four from the leftovers, or maybe five, if I don't mind having a knot in the middle. Or maybe I'll make a set of coasters.

As if the pandemic were not enough, we now have wildfires. As of this writing (Sunday, September 13, 2020) we were not in danger of losing our home and have not received any alerts to be ready to evacuate. However, we are inundated with smoke. Saturday the AQI (Air Quality Index) for Bend was 530. Sunday it was lower, but still hazardous.

We have been doing what we can to mitigate the air quality inside the house. We have no air conditioning, and the furnace isn't turned on, so we can keep a lot of the smoke out. Air filters can help, if we were using our furnace. We have two air purifiers running around the clock in our living area and in our bedroom at night. We have added a pot of water on the stove and the slow cooker running with the lid off. My little air cooler (which works by evaporation) is also running to add humidity to the air indoors. What the added moisture does is combine with the smoke particles, causing them to fall to the floor. It has made a big difference.

Here's a shot of our neighborhood.

Looking through the trees.

Even though we have not been told to get ready to evacuate, we have been thinking about it. I had my batches of letters (going to voters, urging them to vote) sitting around in stacks. I looked at them and thought about how difficult it would be to grab them and go. After all that work, I didn't want to leave them behind if we had to get out in a hurry. I decided to use the lid to the envelope box to store them in for now.

Our garden is finally starting to produce. Besides a few more of the grape tomatoes, we found this zucchini under a leaf. We had overlooked it. We have another one coming on. (The teaspoon is for size.)

I managed to put it in the story that came out Friday. Emil was proud of what the compost he helped make did for the garden.

You may remember that I had to record my part for a virtual choir performance of "The Lord Bless You and Keep You" by John Rutter. The finished product was performed during our church service on Sunday. Counting the organist and the choir director, there were eight members of Trinity Episcopal Church who participated. The others were from a number of other faith congregations in Bend. It was lovely to have such a big choir, and we are sharing the result with everyone, not just the congregations that took part. It is dedicated to our helpers: medical personnel and those dealing with the wildfires. Feel free to share with anyone you know who would enjoy it or be comforted by it.

Speaking of comfort, during our weekly Zoom family meeting on Sunday, our daughter told us that her daughter, Daphne, has been stressed by the danger of the pandemic, which she knows about and understands but with which she has not yet developed the maturity to cope. Our daughter told us that Daphne finds comfort in playing with her dolls and reading the stories in The Doll's Storybook. She says that Daphne started reading them from the beginning again. Here she is with her doll "Misty," (Götz Happy Kidz "Honor") wearing their matching nightshirts.

It's heartbreaking to think about all the people who have lost loved ones to Covid-19 or their homes to the wildfires.

What's on my needles: Still the Which Came First Shawl. A few more rows done. Also some dish cloths from the leftover yarn from the dish mat.

What's on my sewing machine: Thinking about Halloween costumes for the dolls

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. More progress this week.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: The second in the two-part "Composing Compost."

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Proof of Corruption by Seth Abramson. Not very far yet. I've been enjoying listening to the story, but I need to concentrate when I write letters, so I've also been listening to music.

What's in my wine glass: Land of Hope 2017 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Not bad.

What's my tip of the week: It's good to think about what we might take if we had to leave in a hurry. We have faced this before, because we used to live in a forest in Utah. I would grab my dogs first, important paper, phone + chargers, laptop, medications, quilts (especially the most special ones), important papers, etc. However I have been thinking about what we might need if we had to prove what we had to our insurance. It's a good idea to take photos of the furnishings in each room. Also, if you have records of what you have done to your house, you should have those. If everything is digital, it helps.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

One Thing at a Time

The second pattern of the Which Came First Shawl is starting to be apparent. 

It's called "Chicken Feet." It's an entertaining pattern.

I finished a hoop-sized section of the whole-cloth quilt this week. Now I've moved on to another section.

We needed more kimchi. Neither Napa nor Savoy cabbage was available at the store where DH was shopping, so I settled for regular green cabbage. I've found that it works better when using regular cabbage if you cut it up into smaller pieces, as the leaves tend to be thicker than the other two varieties. The big chunks are fine, but I serve it in tiny bowls, so it will last longer, and the big pieces don't fit as well. I have read that the pickling process produces beneficial bacteria, similar to yoghurt. Of course, if you can the pickles, it kills the bacteria, so this kind of pickle has to be kept refrigerated and eaten in a fairly short time, like a week or two. Ours doesn't usually last because we eat it.

I might try pickling red cabbage sometime. 

We aren't planning to fly anywhere, but we get to see planes come in to land at the small airstrip about a block away. I was knitting on the front deck when this one came in to land. I heard the hum of the engine and grabbed my phone.

I read in the local paper that a newcomer to Bend saw this and called 911 because she thought the plane was crash-landing. Depending on the wind direction, they sometimes come in low over our street. 

So do the geese who like to graze on the field a few blocks away. They honk instead of hum.

I had to make a trip to the audiologist because I couldn't hear my audiobook out of one of my hearing aids. I was afraid something was broken or that I had wax in my ear. The technician came out to the parking lot, took both hearing aids into the lab, found that they both had wax in them. While she was cleaning them, the audiologist came out and checked my ears. No wax. When I got my hearing aids back and tested them, they were fine. Everyone wore masks.

The Wisconsin grands have been enjoying their huge swimming pool. However, they have decided that it's more fun to take turns.

This was an interesting study on the efficacy of face masks. You may have heard that a Missouri hairstylist became ill after face masks were required in the salon (for stylists and clients). A few days later a second one became ill. The 139 clients they had served were notified and followed. During the maximum incubation period of two weeks none of the clients became ill, leading to the conclusion that face masks worn by both the persons who had COVID-19 and the uninfected people who were in close contact with them prevented the spread of the virus. This would be good news if we could get everyone to wear masks when they go out.

Our zucchini plants are starting to fruit. They are already a few inches long. Here's Mandy, showing Jolena one of the blossoms, part of this week's story, The Homecoming, in which Jolena comes home from Chile and finds out all the news she missed while she was away.

The YouTube video of our virtual choir performance is now available for viewing. You can see it here, if you like. Not everyone in the choir was available or wanted to participate. I'm hoping for more from the next one.

The new microwave is working out in it's new location. I'm liking it better than the one over the stove (besides that it works).

The pups go to the groomer today and Dusty gets his teeth cleaned on Thursday. Busy week.

What's on my needles: Still the Which Came First Shawl. Some progress.

What's on my sewing machine: I'm not sure what's next for them.

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. A little progress this week.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: The Homecoming. Jolena comes back from Chile, and the dolls catch up with each other.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Just finished listening to Mary Trump's book, Too Much and Never Enough. It was like a soap opera. Very well written, narrated by the author. I can recommend it. Back to listening to D. E. Stevenson's Mrs. Tim of the Regiment, which I left off listening to because the Trump book had come out.

What's in my wine glass: Pedroncelli Petite Sirah 2017 Sonoma County Dry Creek Valley. Nice!

What's my tip of the week: Does it get hot in your house sometimes in the summer? Have hot flashes? Get a dish towel and dampen it. Wrap it around your neck. Unless your climate is very humid, the moisture in the towel will evaporate and cool your neck. You (if you're human) have big blood vessels that come close to the skin at your neck. The towel will cool these vessels and the blood inside, carrying the cooling effect around in your body. (This is safe.)

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

Things That Grow.

More mushrooms are sprouting. Here's Sunday afternoon:

They started becoming visible Saturday morning. This morning they looked like this.

I spent a good part of the week working on my book from The Doll's Storybook. Here's a screen shot of the cover in the Pages layout.

I'm planning to include three stories featuring Mariah: "Being Little," "Besties" and "Distraction." I think the book will be about 60+ pages. I'm looking into self-publishing. The tricky part will be how to get the proceeds to go directly to a charity that supports pediatric cancer. I've approached another charity. I hope to hear something soon, because I would like to include the wording about which charity is getting the support.

Because of the work on the layout, I didn't get much knitting done, but the Jenny Cable Jumper for Jolena is coming along slowly. I had to frog the yoke three times (not all the way back, but just a few rows) because I dropped stitches where the increases were made and couldn't figure out how to pick them up again.

Church services are still online, and I found out Sunday morning that the bishop has decided that we will stay online until after Labor Day, which is probably a good idea. However, the choir met (via Zoom) on Wednesday evening. We are going to try to do a virtual choir performance that can be shared as a tribute to our local first responders.

As you know, mushrooms and sprouts aren't the only things we're growing. Our strawberries are coming along.

The peas are about 6" high now. DH built a lattice of string for them to climb.

We've always had good luck with zucchini. (The hardest part is picking them in time. You go to bed one night thinking they are almost big enough only to wake up to zucchinis big enough to use to beat off a bear.)

The blueberry bushes are thriving, but we won't have a big crop the first year. Still, they will be a nice treat.

I'm really looking forward to the chard, though, and it isn't in the ground yet. 

We also have winter squash (butternut, I think), eggplant, tomatoes and pepper plants. They are growing slowly. The nights are still pretty cool here.

What's on my needles: The pullover for Jolena, Jenny Cable Jumper by Tanya Dubinina.

What's on my sewing machine: Put away for now.

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. Another week with no progress.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: "Cats and Dogs," in which Freckles and Marmalade talk about the dolls.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow, which was excellent. I have another book by this author on my Audible wish list. Now listening to The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (a.k.a. J. K. Rowling).

What's in my wine glass: Another Colossal Reserva from Casa Santos Lima. We have several bottles. It's pretty good.

What's my tip of the week: An old pair of pantyhose or nylon stocking can be used to make a great yarn sock. I pushed my newly-wound ball of yarn into the foot of the pantyhose, then cut the foot/leg off the right length (as for the two on the left). For the third ball of yarn, I knotted it first (right).

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.